A new state database shows that Alabamians are borrowing millions of dollars every day from payday lending stores.

The database created by the Alabama Department of Banking found that people took out 462,209 loans over a 10-week period. A total of $146 million was borrowed, or an average of about $14 million each week....

Payday loans are loans lasting between 14 and 30 days. Critics say the transactions, with interest rates as high as 456 percent, trap borrowers in a debt cycle. Shay Farley, a lawyer with Alabama Appleseed, called the numbers "shocking."...

Reform advocates have pushed to cap interest rates on payday and title loans at 36 percent. While attracting dozens of cosponsors -- frequently enough to get the bills passed -- the legislation has often been bottled up in committee. House and Senate leadership, while supportive of a database, have in the past said they want to see what that database would reveal before considering additional legislation.